The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $51.4 million in housing counseling grants to 177 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies and intermediary organizations. This includes funding to HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that are partnering with Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), or other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs). The funding supports housing counseling agencies in their critical work to stem the tide of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on housing, maintain housing stability by helping families with foreclosure and rental eviction prevention, and help families make more informed housing choices. The awards also include funding to further training and education to attract and retain more housing counseling professionals.
“Whether a family is seeking affordable rental housing, buying their first home, or struggling to stay in current housing, now more than ever, housing counselors are supporting families’ housing needs,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “We are pleased to announce these grants to 177 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies across the country to support their work and continue HUD’s mission to ensure every American has access to safe, stable housing.”
A total of $49.4 million in the grants awarded will directly support the housing counseling services provided by HUD-approved local housing counseling agencies, national and regional organizations, multi-state organizations, and state housing finance agencies. HUD awarded $3 million of this funding to 16 HUD-approved housing counseling agencies that are partnering with HBCUs, HSIs, or other MSIs. This funding is designed to expand these institutions’ roles and effectiveness in addressing the needs of their local communities and further their partnerships with housing counseling agencies. Recipients of these grants participated in the Department’s two-year Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) published Sept. 14, 2021.
HUD also awarded an additional $2 million under its fiscal year 2021 Housing Counseling Training Notice of Funding Opportunity (TNOFO) published on Nov. 2, 2021. These grants support education and training of housing counselors. The TNOFO includes training on how to provide counseling for seniors seeking Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM), and training on HUD’s housing counselor certification exam. HUD is awarding $300,000 of the $2 million to recipient organizations that will issue training scholarships to students of HBCUs, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and other MSIs enrolled in a housing counseling workforce development program.
